Impeoved jouenal-box foe eaileoad-oaes



M. THORNTON.

-Car-Axle Box.

Patented May 26; 1868,

No. 78,244. r

. git-itch gums j httfllti @fttm,

MATTHEW THORNTON, O F- MACON, GEORGIA..

i Letters Patent No. 78,244, dated May 26, i868.

IMPROVED JOURNAL-Box roe RAILROAD-cans.

. To ALL WHOM 'IT MAYCONOERN:

, Be it known that I, MATTHEW Tnonn'ron, of Macon, in the county of Bibb, and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Journal-Boxes for Railroad-Cars,- &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accom panying drawings, making apart of this. specificatiom in t'vhichi Figure 1 represents, in perspective, so much of ajournal-box as will illustrate my invention.

Figures 2 and 3 represent sections through the same. Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate figures, denote like parts infall of the drawings.

I My invention relates to the manner of packing a. railroad-car journal-box, for the purpose of keeping the oil in the box, and the dust, dirt, or grit out of it. i

1 To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents the top, bottom, and sides of a journal-box, of any usual form or construction, and B represents a car-axle,fl1e journal, 0, of which is supported and turns therein. D is the usual brass" or-bearingl block, and E'thc wedge or key for holdingit in proper place onposition. l Behind the journal C there is a divi led or sectional collar or ring, F, which snuglytfits aroundthe axle B,

' and below the lower half or section of this collar F there is a hemp or other fibrous packing, G, and underneath this packing there 'is'agland orfollower, H, that is brought up against this packing by screwboltsI I, passing through the flanges J K, oneon the journal-box, and the other on the gland orfollower, The heads of the screw-bolts, as seen in fig. 1, are so formed as that one side of them shall bear against the journal-hox, and thus prevent .them from turning when the nuts a a are turned. Around the shanks of the screw bolts I, and between their heads and the flange J, a coiled 'wire or other spring, a, may be placed. But these springs are not positively necessary, as the flexibility and elasticity of the packing, G, acts, to a great extent, as a. spring. The under nut, is, is used as a. jam-nut,.;to' prevent the other one, c, from working loose.

The upper section of the collar F will always bear against or be close to the axle. Whenever the under section, by wear-or otherwise, is not in close proximity to the axle, the gland is drawn up by the screw-bolts against the packing, and the latter is forced against the under section, and thus the joints, where oil might waste, or dust enter, are kept closely packed. The form ofothe packing admits of its being elongated by press ure upward against it,-and a single packing will thus last'a very long time, as there isno frictional wear upon it, though it compensates for the wear upon the collar. i

Havingthus fully deseribedthe object and purpose of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- V l The'packing of ajournalbox by means of th edivided collar, the fihrous packing and the gland, arranged to operate in conjunction with the axle, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

- MATTHEW THORNTON. Witnesses:

ALEX. T LMIE, .T. A. Mnenunnn. 

